The currently available personal computer systems are equipped with large memory systems and high-speed processing power that was unavailable just a few years ago. The large memory and improved processing power has mostly been put to use in Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) implemented by windowing operating systems such as Microsoft's Windows and Apple Computer's MacOS. The graphical user interfaces simplify the operation of the personal computer system such that many people now use personal computer systems.
However, even with graphical user interface based operating systems, there is still plenty of processing power in most personal computer systems that is not being used. For example, when a user is reading a display screen, the personal computer system's processor is usually idle. Other times when the processor is idle include waiting for input/output devices to complete operations, times when the processor is waiting for an input from the user, times when the user is not using the personal computer system at all, and times when the user is waiting for information to be delivered across a slow network connection. In fact, the processors within most personal computer systems are idle for the majority of the time.
Since there is a large amount of unused processing power available in most personal computer systems, it would be desirable to be able to share this unused processing power with one or more other persons. However, most personal computers use the Windows 95 or Windows 98 operating systems that only provide input and output services for a single console. With the Windows 95 and Windows 98 operating systems, only one person can use the personal computer system. This is true despite the fact that the Windows 95 and Windows 98 operating systems are multi-tasking operating systems that can support several simultaneous application tasks. Thus, it would be desirable to find a way of sharing the processing power in a Windows 95 or Windows 98 based personal computer with other user at other consoles that are coupled to the personal computer system.